I also mostly agree and can see it starting already. Some older coins, like Feathercoin have seen their communities all but dry up. However, more recently activity has started to pickup some. People are starting to look to coins that have stood the test of time rather than something thrown together in a dorm room for a quick buck.
Feathercoin is a good example because its one of the older alts and its still actively developed. Sure its history isnt so great but that shows it has survived and gotten stronger. 51% attacks, algro change, PnD, etc but it lives on... Im sure there are other coins like that out there, Peer? Namecoin? Even Primecoin was a good idea, it was just abandoned by the dev.
Dust off your old wallets, I think some older coins are coming back from the dead.
I agree. The new bull market has gotten some old adopters going back to their old haunts and getting interested in their old faves again. Old cryptos that are still around have stood the tests of time, which include the "active community" test. There've been hundreds that have been abandoned, but the "old reliables" have not been. Plus, as you indicated, many of them are still being actively developed. That kind of community is strong-hands solid.
Best of luck with Feathercoin.